


Touch Starved

by Bitway



Category: Inazuma Eleven, Inazuma Eleven GO
Genre: Hugs, M/M, Post-Canon, Touch-Starved, tfw u don't know touch starved is a thing but thats what you are
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-11
Updated: 2020-09-11
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:47:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26403691
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bitway/pseuds/Bitway
Summary: Matatagi takes a run at night and doesn't expect to meet anyone he knows. Tenma appears and he's pulled into some strange feeling that takes hold of him.
Relationships: Matatagi Hayato/Matsukaze Tenma
Comments: 2
Kudos: 23





	Touch Starved

As he runs, the night breeze feels cool against his skin. Matatagi keeps up his pace, not letting himself slow down even for a second. Beads of sweat drip down his body- how long had he been out here?

He hadn't bothered to check the time since he left. It was well past nine; he knew that much. He put his brothers to bed around eight and he followed shortly after. Which hadn't gone well. Matatagi had tossed and turned in bed, his body itching for something, he wasn't sure what, and his mind was wandering on a darker path.

So, he had decided to go out for a run. It helped. It would not only clear his mind but get him tired enough so when he returned home he could fall asleep with no issue.

Thoughts of his brothers surface, unnecessary worry overtakes him- they were fine, nothing bad was going to happen. He knows he locked the door and checked on them before he left. Seeing them fast asleep had put him at ease, even if it was momentary. As much as he didn't want to leave them alone, he couldn't just sit around in his room and wait for sleep to overtake him.

_'I should be getting back soon. A couple of more laps.'_

With that new incentive, Matatagi picks up the pace. His hand grips onto the bottle in his hand, careful not to squeeze it so it doesn't crinkle in his grasp. He zones out, focusing on the same path he has run so many times before. Nothing could reach him.

Except for the sound of a voice.

Someone was calling his name. He had brushed it off at first before hearing it shouted again. Confused as to who would call out to him so late, his run comes to a stop. Dark eyes gaze at his surroundings. It's dark and difficult to see anyone else if they were too far, but with the moon's light shining down on the area, he could catch sight of a familiar face.

"Matatagi!" Tenma shouts his name once again as he makes his way to him.

"Tenma?" He breathes out the boy's name. Matatagi uses his arm to wipe the sweat from his forehead. "What the hell are you doing out this late?"

This kid was a goody two shoes. It was hard to find a reason for him to being out here so late. He was close to making a snarky comment about good kids being tucked in bed at this hour, but saves his breath.

"Aki-nee asked me to get some things for her." He raises a hand that had a plastic bag hanging from his wrist. Huh. Still one of the better, if not cliche, reasons to be out at night. "What about you?"

"Out for a run."

"For practice?"

Matatagi snickers. Of course he thinks this is related to soccer.

"Sure," he replies halfheartedly.

Tenma doesn't seem to hear the lack of enthusiasm in his response, rather it seems like he ignores it and just believes in his answer. It makes that small smile he usually wore on his face grow wide.

"What's that look for?"

"Its just…it reminds me of when you first started out for the team. How you were one of the few who continued to practice even when practice hours were over. You still put your whole heart into it."

_'Whole heart? Yeah, right.'_

The reasoning for his practice had been clear. He was doing it for his brothers, not for the team or for the love of some sport he never played. It was entirely selfish. Even now his reason for being out here was just to help him fall asleep. Sure, there was a match coming up, but he wasn't too worried about it that he would have to run laps at night for it. Although, he would prefer that be his main worry compared to what else was on his mind.

Whatever.

"That all you wanted to tell me?" Matatagi asks.

"I guess so. I just wanted to say hi," he says with a light chuckle. "I didn't expect to see anyone out this late."

"Me either."

"It was nice seeing you," Tenma chirps. Then he flings himself forward.

Matatagi should have moved out of the way or held a hand out to stop him from coming too close. This boy had a knack for giving hugs out, regardless of what the other party thought or felt about them. He had always done his best to avoid it, but tonight, he didn't. He was just too tired; it was too late, and he just couldn't find it in him to move.

He soon finds himself enveloped in Tenma's embrace. His body tenses up and he's unable to react at first. Part of him screams to push him off and tell him to respect other people's boundaries, but he doesn't. He can't.

Tenma is warm. Not in the way that makes him feel hotter than he already is, but in a different way. He didn't feel cold, but somehow having Tenma against him made everything feel just right. Maybe it was the way his body nestles against his and how he is loosening up. His whole being just unwinds in this moment.

He isn't sure if he likes this feeling or not. It's nice, as much as he hates to admit it, but it makes a realization hit. He had felt so weird, so empty and restless before. Now? Now he felt like he had a sense of belonging and felt his woes being washed away. He didn't want to move. He wanted to stay like this.

The moment he feels Tenma slip away, Matatagi wraps his arms around him, dropping his water bottle in the process. His body had moved on its own, it had practically screamed not to lose this, whatever this was- not yet.

There's a gasp from Tenma, who was probably just as surprised as he was from his actions. Matatagi clenches his teeth and shuts his eyes. He leans his head onto his shoulder, not wanting to face him.

"A little longer," he mumbles.

He hates this. Hates how needy he sounds. Hates how he had succumbed to this feeling that he just didn't want to lose. Hands clench onto the back of Tenma's sweatshirt, ensuring that he would stay.

"Matatagi…?" Tenma's voice is unusually quiet. Matatagi doesn't want to hear the question that follows. "Are you okay?"

"M'fine." He answers even though he knows that he clearly isn't. He holds back a sigh and figures things could be worse. He could have done this in front of the rest of their teammates and never hear the end of it. At least, right now, it was just the two of them and no one else.

Tenma says nothing else. He feels the other return to squeezing him, the bag lightly hitting against his back. It's fine. He doesn't care. It doesn't hurt. It doesn't feel like anything can hurt him. Not now, not ever.

He tells himself to let Tenma go. He isn't sure how long he had been like this, coming close to just squeezing the other boy in his arms. Maybe a few minutes, maybe more. It hardly felt like time passed. But he needed to get home. Tenma did too.

He frees the boy's sweater from his hands first. Then he pulls himself back. A cold breeze passes between him and Matatagi is ready to just pull Tenma back into his arms. He feels Tenma's hold on him loosen up and shortly after, their arms are both resting beside them.

It's hard to meet with those bright blue eyes that seem to shine brighter than they ever had before. He catches a small blush on his cheeks, which, in turn, makes his own heat up. Right. Hugging him back out of nowhere might have been a little…weird.

"I'm fine." Matatagi states, more so to himself than to Tenma. "Don't…tell anyone about this." It's the weakest threat he's ever made, but the last thing he needs to hear is Ibuki coming over to him and pushing his buttons on this subject.

"I-I won't!" Tenma replies. He's a good kid. He believes his word.

_'I trust him.'_

That was…a weird thing to think. He was glad that hadn't spilled from his mouth, though he wouldn't be surprised if it had. This night had taken an odd turn and he couldn't say if it was for the better or the worse.

"Thanks." Matatagi says while unknowingly flashing a smile Tenma's way. He mutters a goodbye before waving and running off.

He doesn't turn back for his water bottle, even though he could desperately use some now. The cool air hits his skin again, and it feels even more refreshing than before. When he returns home, nothing had changed.

When he finally falls onto his bed, it feels like his body sinks into it. His bed feels softer, cozy. He knows the moment he shuts his eyes, it would be a rare moment when sleep overtakes him in an instant.

Was this all because of Tenma? Was he feeling so relaxed and content over some stupid hug? When was the last time he had one like that? His brothers were still too small and so were their hugs, and his mother could only grace him with side ones. He had felt so out of touch with everything, and now he didn't.

His mind tries to put together this feeling. Half of him wants to avoid it while the other half wants to embrace it. This all comes to a stop once he shuts his eyes, and he falls asleep.

For the first time in a long while, he wakes up feeling refreshed.


End file.
